Remember
by ProfessorPotterGirl
Summary: "I had to hit it. I had to. My grip tightened against the bat, glancing at the window behind the field that I needed to hit the ball through. I needed to see her again. I needed any excuse to see her." Hinata x Yui . Rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

It was the perfect day.

Most people seemed to think that if the day is "sunny" or "good weather" it was automatically "perfect", but this was different, I could just feel it. The weather _was _nice, but the whole general feeling of the day made me excited and roaring with energy so badly that I couldn't contain myself.

I rushed onto the vast baseball diamond, itching for a win. The green grass crunched under my cleets, tasting the fresh air on the tip of my tounge. I adjusted my hat where I stood at second base, and punched the pit of my glove, ready to catch anything that would come flying my way.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was the bottom of the sixth inning; about halfway through the game when my life changed forever. I stepped up to the plate, taking a few easy practice swings trying not to feel the pressure. The baseball field wasn't overly huge, and most of the people in the crowds were family members or friends, not actual fans. I dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player someday, and knowing that if I dedicated myself to the sport, I could maybe live that dream.

The pitcher looked tough, but that meant almost nothing. What mattered was how well he could throw the ball.

I smirked at him, getting ready to swing. He got ready, extended his arm and threw the ball. Before I had time to think, I heard the umpire yell, "Strike one!"

"Damn it." I muttered. We were both tied at 2 runs each but we needed to take a lead at some point if we wanted a chance.

I took another practice swing and tightened my grip on the bat. Underneath my helmet my hair was blowing in my eyes as I concentrated. Some people in the audience were cheering for me and I heard the boys on the bench were doing the same. It was now or never.

He threw it once more and I swung, making sure my timing was a hundred percent perfect. I felt a jolt of the bat in my hands as the ball went flying above the grass. It looked good, and I ran watching it fly farther and farther, until I knew I had gotten a home run.

The people cheered louder and I ran aroud the bases, not able to contain my smile. We were in the lead. I went over to my teammates and gave them all high fives as they congratulated me.

Suddenly one of my teammates came up to me. "Hey Hinata, did you see where that ball went?"

"What do you mean?"

He let out a laugh. "It went in that open window behind the fence. Damn that was a long one!"

I followed his gaze and saw one of the houses behind the fance of the feild with it's window pryed wide open. I silently thanked God, knowing that if I broke another window I would be out of cash getting it replaced. I figured that house must have had a lot of baseballs thrown into it.

"Nice hit though."

I turned to him. "Yeah.. Thanks man."

For some reason I couldn't explain, I felt uneasy. Like I needed to find that ball. Like I needed to say sorry or something, which was strange because there was really no point in getting that ball back. I watched the window, my heart racing. I decided I would go to the house after the game and simply ask for it back, and that would be that. Easy.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The game finially ended with a win thanks to my home run, which made me sort of embarassed and proud of myself at the same time. My teammates pounded me on the back and congratulated me again, but I only half heard what they were saying.

My coach high fived me, his huge hands nearly crushing mine. "Nice save Hinata. We can expect more from you next game," he said in his gruff voice. I nodded, glancing behind him at the house.

"Something wrong?"

I blinked. "Wha- oh, no sir. Thank you, I won't let you down," I said, bowing my head. He studied me for a moment, then walked away without another word.

Everyone seemed to be settling down and leaving the game in the sunset of night, so I knew it was my chance. I made sure no one was watching, and snuck behind the trees until I reached the paved road. I ran past the field, the cold wind rushing against my face and my breath getting heavy. The feeling in my chest was growing stronger and stronger.

I needed to get inside that house. Everything in my mind and body told me I did. The sky contined to darken and I feared that it would get too late at night to find my way back home.

After a few minutes of running I finially came to the house. It was small on the outside with a very simple flower garden in the front. Nothing special, but it felt welcoming.

"This is stupid," I mumbled to myself. "What the hell am I doing here?"

It was freezing outside, and I didn't know why I needed this baseball so badly. It felt like a invisable string was pulling me into this house, and there was no turning back now.

I walked up the path and came to the wooden door, taking a breath before knocking a few times.

I heard rustling and footsteps on the other side. A young looking woman answered, smiling kindly at me. "Hello young man. You're here for your baseball back aren't you?"

I stood quiet for a minute. "Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

She let out a small laugh. "We get baseballs sent through our windows all the time. Plus I can tell by your uniform."

She was short and had big, dark brown eyes. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she didn't look old in the slightest but you could tell she was at least fourty, her grin giving the illusion of youth. Her voice was smooth and calming like flowing water.

I smiled. "Oh yeah, I guess you could."

She motioned for me to enter. "Follow me."

I stepped inside and took off my shoes. The interior was just like the outside; simple and nothing fancy with a feeling of warmth. It smelled like baked bread as she led me past the kitchen and down a small hallway with two doors ajoined to it. All the walls were plain exept a few photographs hanging here and there. I felt a sense of fimilarity in the home, although I was positive I had never set foot in there before.

"It should be in this room if you hit it through the back window," she said. "My daughter gets so many baseballs hit into her room that she keeps her window open nearly everyday so the glass doesn't break."

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll just grab it and go."

"Alright ju-"

Suddenly the home phone rang from another room. "Oh, excuse me please. I've been expecting this call," and she ran off to answer.

I watched her go before turning to the door. The feeling in the pit of my chest was stronger than it had ever been before and I knew I was close, even though I didn't exactly know what I was close to. It was a feeling that was impossible to explain through words. Hesitating at first, I slowly twisted the knob letting it click and then swung it open.

I stopped dead in my tracks. The room was small and bright, but I couldn't describe the details to anyone because my mind didn't see anything exept her.

The girl who lay in the bed.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks so much for reading. Chapter 2 should be posted right away and chapter 3 hopefully soon. Please take a few seconds to review to let me know what you think/want me to work on! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

I looked at her and she looked at me in complete surprise. Her long hair was an insanely bright shade of pink to match her bright, cheerful eyes. She looked small and fragile, but the corners of her lips curled into a smile when I stepped into the room. Had I seen her before? No... I would remember someone immediately with hair and eyes like that, right?

I didn't have the slightest idea what to say. "Uh, Hi."

She laughed. It was a beautiful sound that reminded me of bells ringing softly in the dawn of morning. I felt my face heat up.

"Your baseball is right here," she said, nodding her head towards the foot of the matress. "It landed right by my feet! That's never happened before. They usually fly under my bed or beneath my dresser so my mom has to search for them."

I didn't take my eyes off her for a second. She looked pale and weak, so I could tell she was sick with something. The sunlight through the open window illuminated her face. "Why... Can't you get them from under your bed yourself? Is there something wrong with y-" I stopped myself. That wasn't what I meant. "I mean... Something holding you back?"

Her face fell a little, but she still smiled. Her voice was really cute. "Oh my mom must not have told you." She closed her looked down at her hands.

"I'm... paralyzed. I have been ever since I was born."

I caught myself staring at her unable to speak. "Paralyzed? Wow... I, uh-"

She gazed out the window. "You don't have to say anything. Everybody says they're sorry for me but I don't care all that much."

I stepped closer to her. "Is it just you and your mom then?" I didn't know why I was so curious about this girl. I was positive I'd never seen her before yet I felt the need to ask her about everything. I found a chair next to her bed and sat in it.

"Yeah. Just me and my mom. She takes care of me and helps me for every little thing I need to do. I'm nothing but trouble for everyone."

It was silent for another moment when I realized I didn't even know her name. "I'm... Uh, Hinata by the way."

She turned to look at me. "I'm Yui," she said, smiling again. "I don't get many visitors besides some of my family, so this is nice."

I wasn't sure exactly what I was doing but I took her hand and shook it. Her skin felt so cold and lifeless. Even if she couldn't shake back, I knew if she would have if she could move. "Well concider me a visitor then. Don't your friends come over?"

Yui looked away. I regretted saying anything right as the words escaped my mouth. "I don't... really have any friends. I've been homeschooled all my life by my mom and I can't play sports or participate in any after school activities so I never really got to meet any of the kids."

I felt so bad for her. I had a lot of friends and guys I could depend on and I couldn't imagine not having anyone to talk or share feelings with. I was sure if people met her she would get lots of friends. "Well... Maybe if you want, I could be your friend?"

Her eyes widened. "My friend?"

"Sure, why not? I can visit you then. Giving you something to look forward to," I said. "But I'm busy with baseball practice most of the time so it wouldn't be a lot, but-"

"No, thats fine!" She replied. "That would mean a lot to me... Thanks Hinata."

My stomach did a flip. No... more like a backwards cartwheel off a ten story building. "It's settled then," I announced. For the first time I took my eyes off her and saw the baseball sitting on the bed. "Hey, do you like baseball?"

She grinned "Yeah I watch it on my TV all the time."

"Then keep it," I picked up the ball at the foot of her bed and placed it in her hands. "I don't need it anyway."

Yui rasied an eyebrow. "Then why did you come all the way here?"

I stood. "I don't... I don't know. Maybe it was to see you."

"But you don't know me," she looked up and met my eyes.

It was true. I didn't know her at all before I stepped into her room. How did I feel so strongly about her, like we had a connection of some sort? It was so surreal and confusing.

"I know... But I feel like I've met you before. Although I'm positive I've never met you at the same time. It's making my head spin," I rubbed the back of my neck in frustration.

"So it's not just me?"

I turned and stared at her. "What?"

"I feel the same way. I have a feeling I've met you somewhere before. But like I said, I haven't had any real friends. I would have remembered you for sure."

I paced the room back and forth, thinking as hard as I could. "I just know-"

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Yui's mother stepped in. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. Someome from my work called," she smiled kindly. "I see you've met Yui. Did you find the ball?"

I blinked. "Oh, yes. But I, uh, realized I don't really need it."

She tilted her head. "Didn't need it?"

Yui piped in. "Yeah Mom, Hinata gave it to me to keep!"

Embarassment swept over me. "I have to go now," I said a little too quickly. "It's getting dark and I have to find my way back home."

"Oh that's alright. Thanks for visiting Yui though," she smiled and turned down the hallway.

I looked at Yui. "I... I'll come back sometime. I don't know when, because I have practice almost everyday after school, but I will, okay?"

She smiled. "Okay. You Promise?"

The room fell quiet. The curtains on the window blowing in the wind was the only sound. "I promise. In fact, I pinky promise." I stepped closer to her and wrapped my pinky around one of hers. Even though she couldn't squeeze back, I knew she had agreed.

And then I walked out of the room, not looking back at her because I knew if I did, I might have never left.

* * *

**Just to clarify, when I watched the anime I watched it in the english dub, so I have no idea if anything will be different to those who watched the Japanese version. I don't think it will; I'm just letting you know in case. Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

I made my way to the door where Yui's mother waited. I bowed my head in thanks and slid the door closed behind me. The darkness of night swallowed me whole as I walked down the gravel pathway crunching under my feet in the light of the moon.

I wasn't too worried about being home late. My mother traveled for her job so I almost never had the chance to see her until she had a small break or was on holiday. My father works 10 hour shifts from morning to night at his pottery shop, making it only possible for me to see him late in the evening and on Sundays when the store was closed. He trusted me to be responsible with myself and he didn't care where I was most of the time. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to make me happy that he trusted me, or sad that he just didn't care. My home was fairly small with only 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a room with the TV, but I liked it. I had it to myself every morning which at least gave some time alone.

The home wasn't far from Yui's, but in the dead of night the walk seemed to take forever. I couldn't take my mind off of her. I had no idea when I would see her again. Baseball practice was four to five days a week after school depending on if we had a game or not, and school kept me busy during the day.

I made my way to the front door and slid it open. The first thing I saw was my father sitting comefortably watching the television, eating dinner. He didn't even look at me when I walked in.

"Hey Dad."

"Hello Hinata," he said, still looking at the screen and taking a bite of a rice ball. "You're home a bit late."

"Yeah, I was at a friends house for a bit. Sorry," I said, untying my shoes. The room was quite dark, only being lit by a single lamp and the small flickering TV screen.

"Theres some extra rice left over on the counter if you're hungry," he answered, like he hadn't even heard me.

I strolled over to the kitchen, which was made up of a small stove, a sink, a tiny fridge and some countertops. "How was work today?"

"Alright. Sold a few things but otherwise it was slow." He ran his fingers through his dark hair and looked like he needed a good shave.

I put poured the white rice into my bowl and grabbed some chopsticks. It wasn't the best meal in the world but I was too tired to make anything. Although his back was facing me I knew he was completely worn out. His hands were always raw from creating clay pots and plates and cups, his eyes red and dry from staying up so late.

He swallowd awkwardly as I sat down in the chair next to him. "How was the game?"

My father wasn't into sports, much less baseball. He thought they were a waste of time, so I was taken by surprise when he asked about it.

"It was good. We won with my hit which I guess was cool." I didn't go into detail in fear I would just bore him.

He just nodded in responce.

The rest of dinner was in silence. I tried to listen to what the news reporter was saying on the TV, but I got lost in my thoughts about Yui. I felt my eyes beginning to feel heavy when I realized how tired I actually was.

I took a quick shower after I finished eating and went to bed without saying anything to my dad. It was almost midnight and I had school tomorrow, and the last thing I needed was to fall asleep in class. In the back of my head I knew my report that sat in my backpack wasn't finished and the teacher would yell at me yet again when she found out.

I pulled the covers tighter around me, and eventually fell asleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

My alarm blazed to life and I sat up. I had expected to see the sun, but instead was in the presence of a storm filled with clouds and rain.

I groaned as I kicked my legs out of bed. I hated school so much.

I threw on my uniform and tried to comb my hair so it didn't look like I had just had been wrestling with an animal. My dad was already gone at work when I entered the kitchen, so I just ate some fruit as breakfast.

The rain pounded on the roof and I dreaded having to walk in it. I knew my umbrella was here somewhere, but I didn't know if I could find it in time.

To me school was just a place I was required to be every morning. It wasn't a place I was happy to be at, or a place that meant anything to me. Sure I had made a few friends there, but I felt like teachers should teach us things that were actually useful. Half the stuff I learn in school I don't even remember a week later.

After a few minutes of searching the closets I finally found it, and almost ran out the door in the pouring rain. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance while I walked to the large building filled with students just down the street.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

School went just like any other day. I went to class, talked with my friends, and went home to get ready for practice. It's how everyday went.

All the time I thought about her. I had kept such a simple promise to see her again, but I was so caught up in school and practice and homework that I didn't have the time. It was the same routine, and each day I felt guiltier and guiltier.

School in the morning, practice or a game afterwords, dinner and by that time it was so late I didn't have the energy to go and see her. I had planned to see Yui on Sunday, which was the only day I was free to go and see her, but my mother was coming home for a few days starting Sunday and I had to be here when she came back. I looked for any excuse to get out of it, but if I told my mom I had someone to see I would just feel bad.

So when she finally did come on that Sunday afternoon she walked through the door and my dad and I were there to greet her.

She had long jet black hair and was short compaired to me and Dad. I was slightly taller than her and I hugged her tightly right when she stepped inside.

"I've missed you Hinata," she smiled. I tried to hide my feelings as best I could and smiled back at her. She reunited with my dad and I started taking her things into her bedroom.

During dinner she told us all about her buisness trip to America as we ate. I only half listened to her while I scarfed down my fish.

"It was really fun to see all the landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the giant buildings..."

Feeling extremly tired already, and also feeling bad about Yui, I stood up from my chair. My parents both looked up at me.

"Where are you going?" My dad asked as I grabbed my plate and put it by the sink.

I rubbed my eyes and brushed the hair out of my face. "I'm worn out. Sorry l'm going to sleep early tonight."

My mom nodded like it wasn't a problem. "Goodnight then Hinata."

And once again, my dad didn't say a word as I went to my bedroom.

* * *

**Sorry for taking awhile to update! I was camping the past week and had no internet haha. Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows! The next chapter should be posted either later today or tomorrow! **


	4. Chapter 4

On Monday I had another game after school. We were playing the best team in the league, and I sure as hell wasn't prepared for them. Rumor has it that this team had only lost once and it was to a bunch of adults who challenged them just for fun. Our coach rounded us all up right before the first bat, telling us to not let him down.

"I want to see your roughest gameplay here," he barked, giving each of a hard glare. "I know we can take these punks down if you boys work hard like there's no tomorrow."

There were a few mumbles of agreement and nodding. Coach smiled, then looked straight at me. "And I expect a lot from you, Mister Bigshot."

That was the last thing I needed. More pressure on myself. But I just said "Yes sir," and looked nervously down at my shoes.

Coach continued. "Let's prove that we aren't just any old team, but that we can beat anyone if we set our minds to it."

We all put our hands together and cheered for a win, but I had never felt so bad about a baseball game in my life.

With everything that was going on; the baseball game, the pressure on me, my mom coming home, and of course Yui, who I hadn't seen in a week. On the inside I felt horrible, imagining Yui waiting for me just to simply visit her, only to have me not show up. I partially blamed it on baseball, but then again baseball was my favorite thing in the world. I couldn't ever give up a game because everyone just expected me to be there. And I always was.

The first few innings were slow, luckily neither of the teams had scored, making it an even game so far. Almost all of the team members looked extremely muscular in some way or another. We had a few strong guys on our team but nothing close to that. I swore that the pitcher was a foot taller than me with twice the ammount of muscle.

As I went up to bat for the third time that bight, I heard the catcher mumble something to me only so I could hear. "Better not mess up or your team will be real disappointed."

I ignored him and got prepared to hit. I could feel my coaches eyes watching me, a few people cheering in the stands. My heart pounded in my chest, my hands were sweaty, and my legs were shaking.

Adjusting my cap, I glanced back bahind the field in the direction of Yui's house. Her window was open again, just like her mother said it always was. I could just barely see the end of her bed through it, the bright sheets making it hard to miss.

Time seemed to slow down when I realized what I had to do. It was the only way I could get to her.

I had to hit it. I had to. My grip tightened against the bat, glancing at the window behind the field that I needed to hit the ball through. I needed to see her again. I needed any excuse to see her.

The pitcher threw the ball hard and fast, wizzing by me until it thumped into the catchers glove. "Strike one!"

I inhaled nervously. The chances of me hitting the ball through her window again were slim, but it wasn't entirely impossible. If I couldn't do it, I wouldn't be able to see her in weeks.

For the second time I got in position, focusing on the baseball and making sure I hit it at the right time. The pitcher nodded slightly, and threw.

I took a huge swing. "Strike two!"

To my right one of my teamates yelled "Come on Hinata! We've seen you do it once, you can do it twice!"

I squinted at my target once more, shifting my shoulders and standing ready for him. The pitcher stood and nodded, before throwing the third time.

The ball came closer and closer in slow motion, and I stepped with one foot, making sure my time was perfect, and took a swing.

A loud "crack" exploded from the bat, and I looked back and saw the ball fly above everyones heads, and I knew right away it was a home run. But would it get through the window?

Not paying attention to the cheering, I ran around the bases and looked at the window. It was a home run, but it didn't go through. My heart sank in my chest.

"Yeah Hinata!" My closest friend on the team, Okito, high fived me when I hit home plate. I tried to smile but on the inside I felt more guilty than ever.

The game ended an hour later, and we got killed 9-2. It wasn't much of a surprise to us, and of course Coach was disappointed so he was extra grumpy as we cleaned up. Okito was putting away the extra bats as he walked over to me.

"Hinata!" He smiled, looking like he had something he really needed to tell me. "Say... why don't you uh..."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What is it?"

He coughed. "Um... Why don't you go and visit your friend."

I stared at him. "What do you mean?"

He elbowed me in the ribs. "Your friend... You know," he winked. I continued to look at him.

He somehow knew about Yui. "How do you-"

"I saw you walk into her house. She's my neighbor and her mom works with my mom."

I swallowed. Had he been following me? "I uh..."

"Just go!" He hissed, looking around to make sure nobody was listening. "I'll take care of your job here."

Standing still for a moment, I handed him the large sack of baseball bats. "Thanks..."

I wasn't sure how he knew about Yui, but I decided not to ask right then and just get to her. The sun was already setting slowly over the tall trees down her street as I ran, glancing behind me several times to be sure nobody saw.

The pebbles scattered on the road crunched under my feet. I could see her house now. There wasn't a lot of time before someone either noticed I was gone, or before I got caught and made some sort of excuse to get out of it.

I knocked on the door. "Hello? It's me Hinata."

I waited. Nobody answered. Panic began to swell in my chest. "Hello? Anyone home?"

The light in Yui's room was turned on in the front so she had to be home. I opened the door myself and stepped inside. Her mom was definately gone.

After taking my shoes off I went down the hallway to her bedroom door. I hesitated. "You in there? It's Hinata."

"Oh thank God," I heard her muffled voice behind the wood. "I thought someone had broken in!"

I opened the door despite the neevousness I felt. She looked the same as before, her long hair draped down her front and her eyes gleaming. "Look, I don't have a lot of time and I'm really sorry I couldn't have come earlier I was so busy with everything I litterally had no time." The words came out all at once.

"Woah woah woah slow down," she said laughing. Her laugh didn't match her high voice this time like before when it was a tiny, cute laugh. It was a real laugh, one that sounded like she was actually making fun of me.

I couldn't help smiling. "Sorry. Where's your mom?" I asked, sitting down by her bed.

"At a meeting for work."

"This late? Don't you get lonely or bored when she's gone?"

She made a sort of shrugging motion with her head. "Not really. She isn't usually gone that long anyway. She has to support us both somehow." Yui make it sound like that should have been obvious.

"I guess." I noticed rows of books on a shelf in the corner of the room. "You read?"

"No I just have books sitting there. Of course I read!"

"Well I'm just curious on how you do so."

"Ha. Well..." She started. "My mom has to hold the book in front of me while I read, or sometimes she just sets it in my lap. Then I tell her when to turn the page for me."

My eyes widened. "And that doesn't bore her to death?"

"She reads along sometimes if she's interested in the book," Yui continued. "But not really. The TV is turned on most of the time so she can just watch."

I noticed she had a variety of different books. Fantasy, science fiction, historical, adventure, manga, American comics; a little bit of everything.

"Do you read, Hinata?"

I looked back at her. "Nah. Not really. I just don't have the time." And it was my honest answer.

The room was quiet for the next minute. Yui broke the awkward silence just as I was about to. "You should come over tomorrow!"

The smile on her face was so genuine and happy that I found myself saying "Sure" before I even had the time to think.

"You don't have baseball practice?" She asked.

"No," I lied, hoping I looked convincing. "I'm totally free tomorrow."

"Great!"

She looked so happy and excited just to be seeing me tomorrow and I didn't know how to feel. I mean... It was just me. I wasn't anything special.

I had an idea. "Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you wanna go some place tomorrow? Like maybe the park or a cafe or something?"

She looked impossibly more excited. "Yes! My mom doesn't take me out often."

"It's settled," I stood. "Again, apologies for not coming sooner Yui-" I stopped myself, realizing it was the first time I had said her name out loud.

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," I nodded. "See you then."

* * *

**Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed! the next chapter might not be for a few days, so sorry in advance. I have school starting up again so I won't have a lot of time. Thanks! **


	5. Chapter 5

Of course I knew I had baseball practice. I always knew when it was, but I just couldn't say no to her.

The next morning I paced around my room, trying to figure out a way to get out of practice. I couldn't just tell coach I was seeing somebody because he would never count that as a valid excuse.

My mother was still in the house every morning. She spent her one week of free time by sitting around or cleaning, or just relaxing and wasting time. It was Tuesday, so my father was out at work, early as usual.

"Hi Mom," I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning. How are you feeling? You better get moving or you'll miss the first bell at school."

An idea suddenly popped into my head. It might not work, but my mother believes almost anything. "Oh, I'm feeling kind of sick..." I rubbed my stomach like it hurt. "I don't know if I can make it."

She stood up from the table and came over to study me. "You sure? You look fine," she observed, feeling my forhead.

"Yes I'm sure. My stomach is killing me."

"You don't think it's something you might have eaten?"

I shrugged. "Perhaps. It's hard to tell."

"Well I guess you're not going to school like that," she said, and I silently celebrated in my head. "You need to get some rest if it hurts so horribly." She pushed me into my room and told me to get back into bed.

"I'll call the school and let them know you're not coming."

It was perfect. I would just act like I was sleeping and I could sneak out, and spend the day with Yui. "Okay Mom. I don't want to be woken up so just let me rest please."

She nodded, put the blankets over me then walked out and shut the door behind her. I listened for a good few minutes to make she was gone, and slowly stood from the bed.

"Shit," I cursed, looking around for the best way to get out. If I tell my mom to leave me alone, she wasn't likely to check on me for a minimum of a few hours. As quietly as possible, I grabbed a jacket from my closet and locked the door. The only way out was the window.

Luckily my house was only one story tall so there was no risk of me hurting myself by climbing out the window. I put my fingers around the bottom, and being as quiet as humanly possible, I slowly lifted up. The window squeaked, making my heart pound in my chest, but I heard no footsteps in the hallway.

The air outside wasn't freezing cold, but it wasn't warm either. The sun was blazing down, yet the breeze was cool enough for me to shiver slightly as the air traveled into the room. I pryed the glass up far enough for me to climb through, and crouched under it into the soft grass.

Closing the window just as slow, I thought of all the things that could go wrong with my plan. But then I thought of my promise to Yui, and all those bad thoughts were washed away.

Putting my hands in my pockets, I made it to Yui's house a few minutes later. I rapped on the door, and Yui's mother answered almost instantly.

"Welcome back Hinata," she smiled brightly. I returned the smile and stepped inside and removed my shoes. "Yui has been talking about this all morning. She's very excited."

I laughed. "I'm glad. It's the least I could do."

Her long black hair was tied back and she wore an apron caked with flour and other food stains. She must had noticed me looking so she explained. "I'm making food for my next meeting for work. All the workers love fresh bread and pastries!"

I nodded, stepping into the living room. "I just realized I never asked what your name was..."

"Miyoshi. Hotaru Miyoshi. But you may just call me by my first name if you like."

"Alright... Hotaru."

That was going to take some time to get used to. "Miyoshi huh? Yui Miyoshi..."

"Yes it's been our family name for generations. My name temporarely changed once I got married, breaking the cycle since I'm an only child, but it turns out I wouldn't have been breaking it after all."

I wanted to ask about her husband and what happened to him, but I didn't want to pressure her or make her uncomefortable. She just sighed and smiled at me again. "Why don't you and Yui get going? She's all ready to go and waiting in her room."

I started to go down the hallway, but she stopped me. "Oh, Hinata?"

I turned. "Yes Ma'am?"

She was silent for a moment before answering. "Thank you. Yui needs someone like you in her life." And with that she left to the kitchen to finish her baking.

I felt flattered by her kindness, yet strangely confused. It felt like I hadn't done a thing; I was just being nice and doing things like I would do with any other friend of mine. I honestly wasn't doing anything special.

When I came into her room, she sat in her wheelchair by her bed and smiled when she saw me. "Hinata! Oh my gosh I can't wait to get out of here!"

She talked so fast I almost didn't understand her. "What?" I laughed. "You don't get out much do you?"

She shook her head. "No not at all. My mom is always busy with work so she can't take me places all the time. I haven't been outside in days!"

I only half heard what she was saying as I studied her. She looked really pretty; wearing a light purple sundress that went well with her pink hair partly tied up with ribbons. She seemed to always have her hair like that. A few bracelets were around her wrists to match her flat black shoes.

"You know it's a bit chilly outside right?" I asked.

"I'll be okay won't I?"

I shook my head. "You'll freeze. Shall I grab a blanket for you?"

She told me they were in the dresser, and I picked a small warm one and put it on her lap. "Alright Yui, just tell me if you want me to re-position the blanket for you. It's no trouble, I promise."

She grinned. "If I could clap my hands in excitement right now I would be." And I had no doubt in my mind she was right.

"Where do you want to go first?"

She looked deep in thought. "How about the zoo?"

"The zoo?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Out of anywhere we could go, you want to go there?"

"Why not? I've only been there once before."

It had never dawned on me that she couldn't just go to the zoo whenever she wanted to like I could. If I wanted to go somewhere I could just walk or bike myself, no problem. "Wow, only once?"

"Mhmm," she nodded. "Unless there's some place else you'd rather go?"

"Oh no, that sounds great. I haven't been there in some time myself."

She asked me to turn off her television for her, and we said goodbye to Hotaru. She reminded us to be safe and waved to us as we left down the pathway.

"Hinata?" She asked. "How exactly are we going to get there?"

"The bus of course," I informed. "I'm still taking driving classes so I wouldn't have been able to drive you."

I continued to push her wheelchair in silence towards the bus stop. It seemed like the fastest option avalible. According to my watch, the next bus should be there within the next five minutes.

I looked down at Yui and noticed she was shivering. "See? I told you it was cold."

"How was I supposed to know?" She complained.

I sighed and picked the blanket off her lap and put it around her shoulders. Dispite the chilly breeze, the sun still beamed down on us like a lightbulb. The leaves on the trees were just starting to change color. Fall was aproaching.

"Better?" I asked.

"Better," she agreed.

"It should get warmer as the day passes. It's still quite early."

We made it to the bus stop just in time, and the bus driver was an older man. I explained what Yui's situation was, and he offered to help her onto the bus.

I lifted Yui up into my arms and I was surprised at how light she was. One arm was under her back and the other was under her legs. The man collapsed her wheelchair so it fit in the bus, and I carried her up the steps. Yui blushed at my touch, but it was the only was to get her inside.

I was thankful to see it was mostly empty with only a few people sitting near the front and middle, so I headed to the back with the driver behind me. I placed Yui down in the seat, and the man gave me the collapsed wheelchair and her blanket. I gave him my thanks, and he trudged back up to the front.

I sat next to Yui and I noticed she was still blushing and avoiding eye contact by looking out the window. "Uh... Sorry about that."

"No- it's okay. I'm just not used to people carrying me besides my mother."

"Makes sense," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "What animals do you wanna see?" I decided to change the subject.

I had been to the zoo a handful of times when I was younger with my dad, but I haven't had the chance to visit in a few years. I was surprised at how excited I actually felt.

"Sea lions," she answered. "Sea lions and macaws."

"That's an interesting combo. Don't you like the cool animals like giraffes?"

The bus hit a few bumps and I made sure she was safely secure in her seat. "But sea lions and macaws are my favorites."

"Why?"

"I like the way they look," she told me like it was obvious. "They're really fascinating creatures."

"But giraffes are cool. How many animals have long necks like that? It's really crazy when you think about it."

"I guess."

Our small talk ended there and we sat in silence the rest of the way. I wasn't exactly sure how I got in this position to even taking her here, like the past few weeks never happened. If someone told me weeks ago that I would be making friends with a parazyled girl and skipping school and practice to take her to the zoo, I would have called them crazy.

"City Zoo," the old driver announced as he pulled into the stop. I stood up along with another mother with her child who looked even more excited than Yui was.

The man came to the back where we sat again to help us, and he took the wheelchair outside. I looked at Yui this time, asking for permission and she nodded.

I took her under my arms once more and carried her down the bus steps and out into the parking lot. I was happy to see that the zoo wasn't busy at all, with most of the parking spots free of cars. Well it was a weekday, at a time where most kids and adults were at school or work.

The driver set the chair back up and I set Yui into it. I paid him for the ride, making sure to give him an extra tip for his kindness and for helping. "Stay safe now," he instructed before disappearing into the bus.

I gripped the wheelchair handles. "All set?"

Once we made it to the booth, I paid for the tickets and we went inside. I had forgotten how big this zoo was.

"Look's like we've got the whole zoo mostly to ourselves!" I observed, looking around me and only seeing a few people who looked like tourists. "So what do you want to look at first?"

I grabed a map from a nearby container attached to the Welcome sign. I held it out in front of her.

"Sea lions," she declared.

I looked at the map and saw the aquatic mamals building was all the way on the other side of the zoo. "Yui it's so far away. Can't we stop there later?" I complained.

She shook her head. "Nope." I could tell she was just playing with me. "Onward!"

I sighed and went down the wide road to the building as she laughed, and for some reason I didn't mind the walking anymore.

* * *

**I'm really sorry it took me so long to update. I've started school again so I don't have the time to write as much, so thank you for being patient. I'll probably try and update once a week, but I can't make any promises so please understand if I'm a bit late :) Anyway thank you for all the nice reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

The building was vastly filled with large aquatic tanks in every direction I looked. I couldn't help but notice Yui's eyes widening with wonder.

"They're so beautiful."

I followed her gaze across the room to the tank in the back and wheeled her closer. Inside there were three gray sea lions gliding among the crystal blue water, swimming and occasionally coming up for breath. Two of them seemed to love the water and the other looked like it perfered sitting on the rock.

"What do you like so much about them?"

Her mouth was slightly open as she continued to watch them. "They're so... free and happy. Like they have no fears in the world."

I knew what she meant as I watched them swimming cheerfully. They could have swam for hours and hours and never have gotten bored of it. Although I agreed with Yui, I imagined there was more to it than that.

"Any other reasons?"

She paused. "The way they move is just so... artistic and smooth like glass."

At that moment I realized Yui was one of those people who paid attention to every single little detail of something, admiring the smallest things about it. I was never one of those people. I'm not observant or open minded like she was.

"The way his nose points up when he swims to the surface to get air is so cute," she squealed.

"How the hell do you even pay attention to things like that?"

"I don't know," she didn't take her eyes off the glass. "I just do."

We stayed there for what seemed like forever, when in reality it was only minutes; and she still didn't look tired of it. Yui would have loved to stay there all day but I told her we should go and look at some other animals. She blinked. "Oh... Yeah. Right."

"Say bye to your friends," I said, not actually being serious but she did it anyway.

"Bye bye sea lions!" She grinned, then turned. "Wave to them for me."

"Ugh fine," I waved stupidly at them and I don't think they even saw me. Studying the map again, I suggested we should see the macaws that she liked so much since the bird exibit was close by anyway.

Outside it began to get warmer, so I put Yui's blanket in the side compartment of her wheelchair. It felt nice and comefortable, surprisingly.

We passed a handful of other animals on the way to the bird building. There was a panda roaming outside in its habitat, and I had assumed it was a new addition because I never recalled there being a panda at this zoo. Neither of us had seen a panda in real life before, the closest we'd ever come to one was on television. It twitched its black ears a few times, and just seated itself down and stared back at us.

"Neat, huh?"

But Yui wasn't paying attention. I followed her eyes and spotted a young boy who couldn't have been older than five, and a man who I assumed was his father. The man looked tired and worn out, like he didn't want to be there at all. He noticed his son was far behind him, stopping to look at some flowers and the elder sighed. "Kyoya!" He yelled at the boy. "Keep up with me or we'll go straight home!"

I was surprised at how angry the man sounded. Didn't he know that young boys get curious sometimes? He didn't have to be so stern.

Kyoya looked like he didn't care about his father's orders, but he ran to catch up. "I was just looking Papa."

"I know that. But you need to quit stopping to look at everything you see."

Once they were out of sight, I turned back to Yui. She had a blank look on her face. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Not really."

I wasn't convinced. "Come on, you can tell me."

She hesitated. "I think I know them."

"Really?" I questioned, starting to push her wheelchair again as she talked.

"Yeah. That little boy is my cousin on my Dad's side, so I haven't seen him since he was a baby. I thought the man looked firmilliar... No wonder. I haven't seen my uncle in so long."

"Do you know why he was so angry?"

"My uncle has a big addiction with alcohol which causes him to have a short temper. I feel horrible for poor Kyoya. It's amazing how he keeps himself so positive and happy all the time, even with an father like that."

"Yeah. I suppose so," I said, sitting down on at the end of a wooden bench and parking Yui's wheelchair beside it. I didn't want to pressure her, but my curiosity got the best of me. "What happened to your father?"

Yui shivered in the wind. Her expression wasn't angry like I might have expected, but more sad. "I've never really talked about him to anyone but my mom."

"I mean..." I trailed off. "If you don't want to talk about him you don't have to."

Sighing, she responded. "No it's fine."

"I honestly don't even know that much about what happened, because my mother only tells me bits and pieces of it so I still don't know everything."

I nodded, putting my hands in my pockets.

"Apparently he ran away when I was about a year old. When I was born, the doctors knew about my condition shortly after, so of course they had to break it to my parents dispite how much they didn't want to. Both of them were devistated to hear that I wasn't completely healthy and wouldn't be able to move from my neck down, but I think my father was just so overwhelmed by it. I like to imagine that he was looking forward to having a nice healthy baby with my mom, but once he realized how limited I was he didn't want to deal with that sort of thing. He just couldn't."

"Wow," I breathed. "But he's your dad right? He should be caring for you, no matter what happens. He just let your mom do all the work?"

"I guess. I have a feeling it was the money most of all."

"The money?"

She nodded. "My parents aren't wealthy so I think he didn't want to pay for all my tretment and medical bills and having to deal with constant payments. But I won't ever know for sure."

I wasn't sure why I was lectering her about what good fathers should be like, since my own was not the best either. "Do you remember him?"

"No, not at all. He ran away when I was only one, so the closest I have is pictures. But my mom got rid of most of them and only gave me one photo to keep."

I don't think there was much I could have said. Thoughts ran though my mind of all the things I could have said to comfort her, but I just couldn't say any of them. Luckily she spoke again.

"When my parents found out about my condition, I think for awhile they thought putting me to rest was better than letting me live with such limitations. I mean... All my life I would do nothing but sit in bed and watch kids do everything I couldn't. My dad would have wanted it, but my mom was different. She couldn't bear to see her daughters life end so soon. She just couldn't."

Her story made it seem like everything I ever worry about is so stupid and unthankful. How she told me all of this without crying; I have no idea. If I was in her position I'd cry just thinking about it. "Wow, that's just... terrible."

She laughed softly. "I know it is, but I'm not telling you this for your sympathy. I'm sure you've had your own share of hardships."

"Yeah, I have." I decided to tell her about my dad since she basically just spilled out her whole life story. "My dad... he could care less about me. I mean, he's alright sometimes but it just feels like he wishes I wasn't there. He just expects me to do everything on my own and deal with everything myself, and it makes me feel like I have nobody to go to when I need help. My mom travels for her job so I can't go to her most of the time, and when I can, it's impossible to bring up."

"Why?" She looked at me curiously. "Why is it so hard to talk to her?"

I shrugged, leaning back against the bench. "I think it's because I haven't ever had someone to talk about problems to before. I'm just inexperienced so perhaps that's why."

"You don't seem to have trouble talking to me," she said quietly.

I looked up at the blue sky. "True, but I honestly have no idea why. I guess you're just easy to talk to."

She smiled at my comment. "You are too, Hinata. I've never told anyone my story about my dad before. I'm surprised I trust you enough."

"Well it's nice to know that I mean something to someone," I said out of nowhere, and slowly stood up. "Come on, let's go look at those birds you wanted to see."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Once again, Yui was facinated by all the animals around her, demanding me to stop her wheelchair at every exibit we passed. She would have stayed for an hour if I hadn't moved us along. The day moved on and on, and I had to admit I was enjoying myself. It wasn't a chore to take Yui around the zoo; it was a lot of fun and I don't remember the last time I smiled so much.

Soon the sun began to lower down into the sky, and I suggested we headed back.

"But I don't want to leave just yet," Yui complained and I rolled my eyes.

"Why? You've seen every animal here, Yui. There's nothing more to look at."

"Yes there is!" She grinned. "The gift shop!"

"But it's all just crappy souviners in there-"

"They aren't crappy!" She cut me off. "They're cute!"

"Guess we have different tastes then," I mumbled as I wheeled her into the tiny shop. She directed me towards the stuffed animal section, and I stared at all the colorful stuffed toys sitting along the entire back wall.

"If you want one I'll buy it for you."

She turned her head. "No, Hinata... You've paid for everything today... the bus ride, the zoo tickets-"

"Yeah, and I don't mind at all. It's no big deal- it's the least I could do. I'm being serious, pick one out!"

She hesitated, but figured that she'd lose the argument anyway. As soon as I saw it, I knew that'd be the one she wanted.

"THE SEA LION!"

I picked it off the shelf. "How did I know that's the one you were going to choose?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By the time the bus came by it was around dinner time, and both of us were starving. I suggested we get something to eat quick before we went home, so we got dropped off at the downtown area. The only place I had been to before was a café on the corner of the street. Tables were set up outside, and I pushed Yui's chair up to one and I sat myself down.

I opened the menu for her. "Tell me when to flip the page for you."

She nodded and I looked down at my own. I hadn't had anything to eat since this morning, so my stomach felt like it was eating it's insides. Everything sounded so good.

We soon gave our order to the waitress, the air becoming quiet again as we waited.

"So," I began, trying to make a conversation. "What kind of stuff do you watch on TV since I know you watch it all the time?." It was a pretty lame topic but I couldn't think of anything.

"All kinds of stuff. Sometimes I ask my mom to turn something on, and she leaves to do work things so I'm stuck on the same channel for a few hours."

"That must suck."

"Not really," Yui laughed her wind-chime laugh. "It's actually a really good way to find awesome shows that you normally wouldn't watch yourself. You don't have much of a choice but to watch it when you can't change the channel."

"I guess so," I laughed along with her. "I wish I had as much free time to watch-"

"Hinata?"

I spun my head around. My breath sucked in my chest.

Okito was standing on the sidewalk looking at us, his mouth hung slightly open. I felt my face go white, and I knew instantly I was in big trouble.

"Didn't your mom call coach today and tell him you were sick?"

* * *

**Once again, I'm sorry for the slow updates! School has taken over almost all my free time, so thanks for being patient; I promise not to abandon the story. I'm determined to fininsh this one :) also thanks for all the nice reviews! **


	7. Chapter 7

Yui looked just as surprised as I was. "Okito... What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Woah woah woah," I put my hands up. "You know eachother?"

Okito laughed. "Yeah, we're neighbors. I think I told you that, don't you remember?"

Yui turned. "Wait, YOU know him?" She asked.

Okito walked over to us, putting his hands into his blue sweatshirt. "Well it seems like we all know eachother. This is interesting."

I ignored him. "Yeah, we're friends. He's on my baseball team."

Our waitress came back with our food, but saw Okito and awkwardly put it down in front of us. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, we're fine," I excused her and she quickly left without coming back.

Okito's face made it clear that he was waiting for me to explain. I sighed. "Look, can we just discuss this another time..."

He shook his head. "No. We were horrible in practice today because you weren't there. Coach was so pissed off at our preformance that he made us work twice as hard, so I believe I deserve to know what's going on here," his eyes traveled back and fourth between me to Yui.

Now Yui was questioning me. "You skipped baseball practice to see me?"

"And school," Okito added.

I growled. "Not helping!"

Okito leaned across the table, making the dishes shake. "So you missed practice and school just to hang out? To chill?! What's gotten into you man?"

My hands balled into fists under the table. If he wanted to know what was going on so badly, he would find out in a minute. "Fine Okito, let's go talk. In private."

Yui's large eyes widened even more. "Hinata?"

"Just stay here. I'm just gonna go talk with him. I'll be back in a minute; promise."

"Well it not like I'm going anywhere," she pointed out, and my heart sunk as soon as she said it. "It's fine just go," she added after seeing my expression.

I stood up, not having to look behind me to know Okito was following. Down the street there was an alley in which I had been before, but it looked a million times scarier when only being lit by a street lamp. The last time I had been there was when I got into a full-out fist fight with some guy who I had beaten in a game of baseball, and aparently the team was undefeated until we broke their streak. One argument led to another, and suddenly I was fighting this guy who was twice my size and could have seriously hurt me bad if he wanted to. The only reason I wasn't half beaten to death was because the shop owner from across the street saw us throwing punches and he ran over to stop us.

Okito leaned against the brick wall, folding his arms across his chest. "So, you and Yui huh? I gotta admit I never saw that coming."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I spat. "I was only trying to be nice to her; something that you seem to fail to do."

I didn't know why I was so angry with him. Me and Okito had always gotten on really well, having occasional disagreements about stupid things but never really had been angry with eachother.

"You're her neighbor... Ever thought of walking over to her house and talking to her?! She's been so lonely and hardly has ever had any friends. The least you could do is just visit her sometimes!"

The moon light revealed his face, curling up into a smile. "So I was right, then? You've been visiting her?"

I suddenly remembered the last game I was at, when we were cleaning up afterwords and he told me to go and see her. I had almost forgotten about it. "Yeah, you been stalking me or something?"

He smirked. "Nah, I'm not that nosey. My mom is good friends with Yui's mom, so they chat all the time on the phone. I just happen to overhear their conversation about you."

About me? I hoped he hadn't heard too much. "It's still none of your buisness."

There was a long round of silence, the wind becoming noticibly cold. I knew my mom had to notice I was gone by now, so there was that I'd have to deal with when I got home.

"Hinata, I don't think you should see her anymore."

I felt like slapping him. "That's not for you to decide," I hissed. "She needs someone... She needs me."

"You can't continue to miss practice like this."

"Who said I was ever going to miss it again?"

He looked up at the star filled sky. "Hinata, if you keep skipping baseball practice for this... to see this girl... we're not gonna make the playoffs. I want to win the championship more than anything this year, because I've actually worked hard this season."

So there it was. He didn't want me to see Yui because of the playoffs?

He didn't stop. "You're one of the best players on the team Hinata. We need you. If we lose two more games, we won't make it. And unlike you, I haven't had the experience of winning a championship."

Okito had only been on the team for two years, whereas I had been for almost five. Ever since I was twelve I had been on the same team with the same people, never missing a moment of a game. In those five years, we had managed to win two championships.

But my mind forgot about baseball. "Well maybe someones happiness means more to me than that.

He stepped closer, causing me to back up. "Hinata. After all we've worked for this year, you just want to throw all that away for... for her?"

I shoved him away from me. "I never said I was throwing it away. I'm not going to miss any games, Okito. But you can't force me to stop seeing her."

"I know I can't. She obviously means a lot to you if you chose to just not show up at school. It's not like you."

I didn't want to talk to him anymore. Before leaving the alley, I stopped under the street lamp, my back to him. "Oh and one more thing," I paused. "Don't mention this to coach or he'll kick my ass."

I waited. "Only if you promise not to miss another practice."

"Fine," I said before I would regret it, then I walked away down the street, and by the eerie silence behind me, I knew he wasn't following.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I made it back to Yui a few minutes later. She sat right where I left her at our table, and I instantly felt guilty seeing her stare hungrily at her plate of untouched food.

"I'm so sorry," I said sitting down again. "I forgot that you couldn't-"

"Eat on my own?" She finished for me; not angrily but jokingly.

"Yeah. Here let me help," I took her chopsticks and twirled some noodles onto it, putting it in her mouth when she opened. My own food was probably cold too, but I didn't mind. I gave her a few more chopsticks full before taking a bite of my own sushi. "How is it?"

"Good," she said, and I could tell she wanted to tell me something. "Can you give me my water please?"

"Oh sure," I took her glass of water and put it to her lips. She wasn't acting like her usual vibrant self which made me wonder what she was thinking about.

"Why?"

"Hmm?" I asked, putting the glass back down.

Yui wouldn't look at me. "Why did you do it? Why did you skip school and practice for me? You didn't have to do that."

I sighed, knowing all along she would have felt bad if she found out. Of course she would. "I couldn't break my promise."

"But I've gotten you into so much trouble-"

"It's fine Yui, I don't mind. I get yelled at all the time; it doesn't effect me."

She still didn't seem convinced. Her long hair blew in the wind, the tablecloth fluttering underneath the dishes. "But your mom is going to be so mad-"

"Yui listen. None of that matters to me okay?" I wished she'd just looked at me. "I didn't do it because I had to, I did because I wanted to. I wanted to spend time with you."

"I still feel bad."

I took another bite of sushi. "I know you do."

It was awhile before either of us spoke again. "If I hadn't skipped class, nothing we did today would have happened."

"But-"

"Did you have fun?"

She started to protest. "That doesn't-"

"Did you have fun?" I repeated, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I did, but-"

"That's all that matters to me," I cut her off, wiping my mouth with a napkin. "A long as you're happy, I'm happy. Now let's finish our meal before it gets really late."

The expression on her face made me know she wanted to say more, but decided against it and ate her noodles when I gave them to her. I finished my own plate and waited patiently for Yui to be done as I continued to feed her and give her water when she asked. I left the money on the table and we headed to the bus once more, making it just in time.

We didn't talk much while the city lights and buildings wizzed by our heads. I had to admit I was tired from walking all day long, but in the end it was worth it. After a few minutes we made it back to Yui's house, and I dreaded knocking on the front door.

Hotaru answered seconds later, and I was relived to see she wasn't angry I brought her daughter back so late. "You're back! Did you two have fun?" She chimed in, using her delighted motherly voice.

"Yeah the zoo wasn't busy at all," Yui smiled as I wheeled her into the house.

"Sorry we're so late. We stopped to get something to eat," I added, making sure she wasn't going to randomly start yelling at me for my lack of timing.

"Oh no, dear it's alright. I'm sure you had a lot of fun, so you better rest up."

"I'll be sure to do so," I handed Yui's wheelchair to her mother. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then, Yui."

She nodded. "Yeah. Soon."

"Soon," I promised once again, hoping this time it wouldn't be so hard to keep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Walking in the darkness to my house was more terifying than I ever would have expected. Every time I turned a corner or heard a noise, I half expected someone to jump out and kidnap me. In the back of my mind I knew that my mom was going to kill me when I showed up, but I tried not to think about it. I checked my watch and thanked God that my dad would still be at work by the time I arrived. Waking up tomorrow for school was going to be a pain, along with all the unfinished homework I hadn't done.

I took a huge breath before opening my front door. It creaked as I slowly swung it open, and stepped inside. It was dark, but my mother's tiny figure sat on the couch by the television, staring at me dead in the eyes.

"Sit down now," she ordered. "Explain to me right this isntant. I want the truth." Her tone wasn't furious like I had been expecting, but it was stern and demanding.

I obeyed and took off my shoes, then sat across from her. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Where were you all day?"

I made up my mind and decided to just tell her everything. "At the zoo."

That was probably the last place she expected me to be. "And why," she closed her eyes in anger. "were you at the zoo?"

"I took my friend there because I promised her I would."

"So you lied to me and escaped out of the house to take your friend to the zoo? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes."

She was staring at me so hard I had to look away. I knew she was trying to figure out if I was lying, but she seemed like she knew I was being totally honest. "Mind explaining to me the rest?"

I sighed and just spilled everything out. I started by explaining who Yui was and about her condition, specificly telling her that she didn't have any friends to depend on and that I was just trying to help her. I went on to telling her how I hit a baseball into her window which was how we met, but leving out the strange connection I felt towards her. I told her everything from start to finish, and when I was done we both sat quietly for a moment.

"Hinata, I know why you might have wanted to do something for her but that doesn't mean you can just lie to my face and run out of the house to see her. For Christ's sake, I was going to call the police if you didn't show up in the next hour!"

"I'm sorry mom. I really am. But you wouldn't have let me skip class anyway."

"Probably not, but now that you've told me what you've been up to I can understand why you've been acting a bit strange," she leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee. "You need to just tell me these things ahead of time so we can avoid stuff like this from happening."

"It won't happen again."

She smiled. "You're lucky I'm not grounding you for this Hinata."

I sat up. "So I'm not in trouble?" All this time I had thought she would nearly kill me for doing everything I did.

"I'll let you off the hook this time, but if I catch you again don't expect to be so lucky."

I grinned and hugged my mom tightly. "You're the best mom," I told her, and I could feel her smile against my shoulder. I ran off to my bedroom, tore off my shirt and almost passed out onto my freshly made bed. I was so exausted and relived that everything turned out to be alright, and I fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Hope you liked the chapter :) thanks for all the nice reviews; you guys are awesome x**


	8. Chapter 8

The next week passed by slower than any other week I had ever been through. We were having the end of the semester exams, to which I hadn't sudied very much. While everyone else in my class blew through the tests, I sat there tapping my pencil half the time hoping the answer would just come to me. Some of the questions I knew, but I guessed on at least half of them. I knew that these tests were super important, but I had other things on my mind.

It was my mothers' last few days back in Japan before she would head off back to the United Sates for a few weeks. She looked like she was ready to leave anyway, because she had nothing to do at home. I would come back from school to find her cleaning the floors for the third time, or unmaking the beds just to make them again. She was used to working all the time for her job, that it seemed abnormal not to be filling out paper work, or having someone tell you what to do all day.

On the day of her departure, she had her one suitcase resting by her side as she stood at the door. It was late at night when my father was home and I was about to go to sleep. My dad hadn't found out about my zoo trip at all, and I couldn't thank my mom enough for that. If he had found out, there was no telling what he would have done.

"I'll be back before you know it," she said, then hugged me.

And I knew she was right. Every time she left for work, it felt like she only left for a few days rather than a few weeks. I squeezed back. "I know you will. Love you mom; be safe."

I felt her nod against my chest. She then approached my father and mumbled a few things to him that I couldn't hear, then kissed him. She looked sad to leave but we all knew she would be back. Wrapping her fingers around the handle of her suitase, she said her last goodbyes, opened the door, and then she was gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mondays we're not my days. Like most teens, I lived for sleep and if I don't get enough of it, I feel like crap the rest of the day. If my dad didn't have to work so early, he'd probably drag me out of bed himself, but he stuck with his own schedule and I stuck with mine. If I was late for school, it wasn't his problem.

So when my Monday alarm rang, I seriously thought about skipping school but I decided against it, having too many absent days already.

During lunch, I sat by Okito and my other friends at the same table we always sat at by the windows. They were deep in discussion about cars, which was the one thing I wasn't into as much as most guys were. I took driving class earlier in the year, but I had to wait another year to get a car. Most of us were seventeen so it wasn't like I felt left out, because all of us had to wait for our eighteenth birthday anyway.

I turned away and zoned out from them. The sky was dark gray, setting a gloomy, heavy feel in the air. It looked very promising of a storm.

"Hey Okito," I nudged him. "Looks like rain. Guess that means no practice," I gestured outside at the clouds. I tried to sound disappointed, but I was secretly delighted because it meant I might have a chance to see Yui.

His face fell. "Yeah, guess so. That's a shame." He pointed it out to all the other guys and they looked let down too.

As if on cue, the rain came rushing down; slow at first but picking up after a few minutes. I quietly celebrated in my head as we dumped our food and left to class, hoping I would be able to find my umbrella when I got home.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"It's not that scary," I said, shutting Yui's window curtains. "And closing the curtains isn't going to take the noise away."

"I know!" she cried, hiding under the blankets in her bed as thunder boomed again. I heard her make a small noise.

"It's not going to harm you," I said with a joking voice. "There are a lot more things scarier than thunder storms."

"Maybe to you."

I sat at the end of her bed, watching the lump under the covers breathe up and down. I felt like comforting her, but something held me back. Glancing to the corner of the room, I focused my attention to the large shelf filled with different snow globes of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I didn't know how I hadn't noticed it before.

"So do you collect snow globes?" I had to shout over the roaring thunder.

"Yes," I heard her muffled voice tremble. "My mom buys them for me."

"That's pretty cool. I wish I collected something," I spoke my thoughts outloud. "Do they play music?"

"Some of them do. You can touch them if you want."

I couldn't see her face beneath the sheets, so I didn't know if she was being serious or just giving me permission because she wanted to be nice. I asked again, and she assured me it was alright.

I stood up and aproached the display. There had to be at least fifty snow globes, each one a different theme. Some were just plain, but some had animals in them and were delicately hand painted. After viewing them, I had gained a new respect for sculptures who put so much effort into things like snow globes, statues and pottery. Kind of like my dad.

One of them caught my eye; a smaller one that had a blue base painted with the word, "Release" over and over again. On the inside of the round sphere part, there was tiny red balloon, and of course the tiny "snow" flakes sitting at the bottom. I picked it up and studied it, remotely curious. It was so basic, yet got my attention for the simplicity.

I was about to ask her about it, when suddenly a bolt of lightning came down just outside the house, making an enormous crack that left my ears ringing. All the lights instantly went out, and the room was pitch black. Yui was making small noises under the blankets as I tried not to blindly trip over something.

"You alright Yui?"

She didn't answer, continuing to make trembling noises, and I heard her mother's light footsteps coming down the hallway. She entered the room with a silver flashlight in her hands.

"This is the only flashlight I have, I'm afraid so you'll be in the dark until I can fix the power box," she made it sound like that sort of thing happened all the time.

"Oh, okay," was all I could think of. "How long do you think it'll be?"

"It's hard to tell. I'm not the best with electrical wires, but it shouldn't be too difficult."

I sat back on the edge of the bed. "Let me know if you need any help."

She smiled assuringly before leaving. The room was completely dark except the small sliver of moonlight shining though the gap in the curtains onto the bed. The rain sounded like it wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.

"Yui?" I rested my hand on what felt like her shoulder. Her breath moved rapidly. "Is something wrong?"

She didn't answer at first, so I pulled back the covers. The pale moonlight fell on her face, revealing it covered with fresh tears. "Yui?"

"Hinata..." She sobbed. Without thinking, I hugged her to me, letting her cry in my arms. I had no idea why she was so frightened, but I decided to just let her be. More thunder came, and she squeezed her eyes tight.

"It's okay, Yui. Nothing is going to hurt you. Everything's fine," I instsed, putting my hand on the back of her head as my shirt was soaked with her tears. "It's just a little noise. Your mom is fixing the lights and they should come back on soon."

Her face was hidden in my shirt. I tried to tell her there was nothing to be afraid of, but she just kept on crying. I lifted her arms around my neck for her, and held her. For a moment I wondered if Yui had once had a bad experience with storms and that was why she was so scared. I had a friend who once flew on an airplane and almost died in a crash, and now refused to ever fly on one again. Perhaps this was similar.

I nestled my face on the top of her head. Her hair smelled like flowers. "It's alright Yui. I'm here... I'm here."

I had been so focused on her that I hadn't noticed my heart racing in my chest. My body felt warm and my blood was rushing faster than normal. The way her face was against my chest, her eyes closed and worn with crying, the smell of her hair and how her fingertips pressed against my back...

I never wanted to see her hurt like that again. The next time I saw her cry, I vowed to myself it would be of happiness and not of fright or sadness. I just wanted her to have all the happiness in the world, because she deserved every single bit of it. I didn't know what I was feeling, but I did know that nobody had ever inspired me or meant so much to me before. Seeing her like that broke my heart.

"Sorry..." She managed to say inbetween her sobs. "I... I don't..."

"Don't apologize."

"But I've ruined your shirt..."

I glaned down and saw her looking at me. For some reason I smiled. "It's alright. It's just a shirt."

"I'm so pathetic," she choked. The moonlight hit her face, showing her wet eyes and distressed face. But nobody had ever looked so beautiful to me.

"Nonsense. Everyone has their own phobias."

"It's not that-"

I silenced her. "It's fine Yui. I mean it." I felt my face heat up, and I was grateful for the darkness so she didn't see my face go red. My throat felt dry like I couldn't speak, and my mind raced over the millions of things I wanted to say.

I swallowed. "Yui... I-"

She looked at me patiently, another bolt of lightning flashed, but this time she didn't even take her eyes off me.

"I... I-"

Just then, the lights flickered back on, and I blinked in surprise. Yui looked around too, like she had forgotten what had even happened.

"Looks like my mom fixed it," Yui said quietly, not wanting to move her arms from my neck.

"Yeah," I agreed awkwardly. My heart felt like it was going a thousand miles an hour, and I didn't want to let her go yet.

I just wanted to stay that way. Forever.

* * *

**Once again, I apologize for the slow updates. School has been hitting me across the face pretty hard with work. I've been studying like crazy so it's hard to find time to write, but I'm really glad you guys like it! :) thanks for reviews it means a lot :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Yui's POV

I hate storms. Not only are they loud and uncontrolable, but they swallow the outside world in darkness, and lashes out all its anger down on the land at once.

I ordered Hinata to pull my blankets over me so I couldn't see. He rolled his eyes jokingly before obeying, and soon I was curled up under the warmth of the cloth, listening to the ear-splitting booms, and thankfully not seeing any lightning. I couldn't figure out if it was more scary to not see what was happening, or to know if something was there that scares you. I was having that debate in my head when Hinata spoke.

"So do you collect snow globes?"

I tried to keep my voice steady as possible. "Yes, my mom buys them for me."

Everytime we traveled to a new place, or when she had taken me somwhere with a gift shop she always bought me a snow globe. I loved them for some reason; how beautiful they were and how much time were put into some of them. I could stare at them all day if I wanted to.

"That's cool. I wish I collected something. Do they play music?" His voice sounded distant and muffled over all the noise.

"Some of them do. You can touch them if you want," I said, hoping maybe it would distract him from seeing me in a complete mess. Gosh, if I could only move my legs I would have ran and hid safely in the basement.

I felt the bed move as he got up, and I shut my eyes. I didn't think there was any way I could get over my fear. It was all my cousins fault for leaving me outside while a storm came one day when I was young, and it scared me so bad that I never wanted to go out in the rain again.

Forcing my mind to think of something else, I wondered why Hinata was being so quiet. He was probably just looking at my collection.

Then the power shut off. Even under the bed sheets I could tell the lights were out and the regular humming of the electricity in the house when silent. A few quivers ecsaped my mouth, but I could not stop them. I was surprised Hinata had not called me a baby yet.

"You alright Yui?" His voice sounded close. I then heard my mom enter, and it took all my willpower not to make noises. If she found out how scared I was, she'd never leave me alone until she fixed my phobia. I'm sure most people would kill to be in my position with a caring mother, but the problem was she cared _too _much. She was so over protective of me that if something hurt me, she'd ask a billion questions trying to make me feel better, when it just made me feel worse.

Hinata spoke to her, but I didn't catch what they said as I had my own thoughts. The rain poured outside, and I felt his hand through the blankets touch my shoulder. "Yui?"

I couldn't make myself to answer him. My voice felt caught in my throat. And it wasn't so much about the rain anymore, but about all the things I had been feeling the past few years. All my pain and suffering swelled up in my lungs, like heavy sandpaper scraping on my insides.

I hadn't realized I was crying until Hinata pulled back my covers and stared at me with widened eyes. "Yui?" He asked again.

"Hinata..." I choked on my tears, and before I knew it everything came flooding out at once. He grabbed me and held me close to him as I let out all the emotions I had been feeling for so long. All the people who had left me, who hadn't cared enough, who took advantage of me, and all the hurtful things they did to me that I never had the guts to tell them.

I never had a friend who stayed with me more than a week or two. They would always find someone better who could actually do things with them. I had people who had promised me they would come back again, and never returned. Of course they had to have sympathy for the disabled girl, maybe spend a few days with her and then pretend that nothing had gone on. Every single person I met had left me. This time I was determined not to let him get away. The past month we had known each other was the best time of my whole life. If Hinata left me now, I don't know what I'd do.

"It's okay, Yui. Nothing is going to hurt you. Everything's fine," he assured me.

But he was wrong. So many people had hurt me that I didn't know how much more I could take. There were days where happiness came to me easily, and others where I felt like I had no purpose.

Somehow I had convinced myself that I was completely and utterly useless. I mean, I had almost no chance of ever getting a job because I couldn't, well, move anything. I'd be living with my mother my whole life - doing what? Sleeping? Eating? Wasting time? There was no reason for me to live. I'd stay motionless in my bed as I always have. I have no goals set for myself, since I cannot achieve any of them.

All I was was a meaningless, lifeless object in the way. In the way of my mother - she could be doing so much more if I wasn't alive. She might have a better job, more free time to get things done, or possibly even got re-married and started a new life with someone. And knowing that I was the reason holding her back made me feel so hopeless.

Hinata took my arms and put them around his own neck, which I was grateful for. He was the only person who had cared about me for once, and against all my negativity, being there with him made me so happy I thought my heart would burst.

"It's okay, Yui. I'm here... I'm here."

He probably thought I was just terrified of the storm- which I was- but I never had a chance to let everythig out to someone before. Heck, I hadn't had anyone hold me so tightly as he was. It caused a small tugging in the pit of my stomach which I hadn't felt before.

"Sorry..." I managed to say although I had no idea what I was sorry for. "I... I don't..."

"Don't apologize."

"But I've ruined your shirt..." I observed, genuinly feeling embarassed.

He smiled down at me. "It's alright. It's just a shirt.

"I'm so pathetic," my voice sounded weak.

"Nonsense. Everyone has their own phobias."

"It's not that-" I tried to tell him, but he cut me off.

"It's fine Yui. I mean it."

I wanted to speak everything I had kept locked up in my mind to him, just to finally let it all go. My thoughts were like a river building up against a dam, slowly getting stronger until it would eventually break through the cold, hard stone and flood and destroy everything.

He gulped. "Yui... I-"

I knew there was something he was urging to tell me too. I looked up at him, waiting, but his lips couldn't seem to form words.

"I... I-"

Then the lights switched on.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was one of the few days where I was happy to be in my bed. Out my window it looked colder than being stranded in the middle of a cloud. As usual I watched my TV, stifling small laughs at all the horrible jokes being made on the show. But while watching, somehow I always caught myself thinking about Hinata.

What was he going to tell me? The one time he might have actually opened up to me, my mom decided to fix the lights. Of _course_ she did. Just my luck.

If I could have ripped a book in half in frustration, I would have.

"Hey Yui. Time for your medication," I hadn't even notice my mom come in. She had my pills in her hand and a glass of water.

"Ugh fine."

She helped me drink the meds down my throat. To be honest, it didn't feel like the pills did anything, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I didn't want her feeling like she'd wasted so much money on medication that was ineffective.

"So," she shifted awkwardly. "Hinata called."

"Did he?" I sounded happier than I meant to sound.

She nodded, putting a piece of hair behind my ear. "He'll be over in a few minutes. He sounded really excited about something," she added.

"Well he hasn't been over in a few days. Something exciting was bound to happen," I said, forgetting how much I truly missed him. Maybe it was about what he wanted to tell me so badly the other day...

Just as my mom predicted, a few minutes later Hinata walked into my room. His arms where balled into fists, holding his arms straight up into the air. The grin on his face was so big, I didn't think he could make it any larger.

"What?" I laughed.

"Take a guess."

I took note of him dressed in his full baseball uniform. "You won?"

He nodded, motioning for me to keep going. "Not just any game."

I thought. "A special game?"

"Yes!" He got impatient. "The playoff game! My team's going to the playoffs!"

"Oh," I blinked, then smiled. "That's great. I wish I could have seen you win."

"Well," he smirked. "That's just what I came to talk about." He leaned against the wall next to my bed. "You watch baseball much?"

"Yeah, I watch it on TV all the time- it's one of my favorite sports," I said truthfully.

"Good then. So," he smiled at me. "You interested in watching me play at my game next week? I'll take you and everything. You know the rules and stuff so it won't be too boring," he joked.

"Yeah, I'd love to," I breathed. "Sounds great."

He grinned again. "Thanks Yui. I'll be sure to put on a good show for you," he half laughed.

He was acting so much happier than usual. I had never seem him like this before, and it made my heart flutter.

He took his baseball cap off and placed it down on my head. He stepped back and made a little frame around me with his fingers. "It suits you."

"Yeah sure," I rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious!"

"Mhmm," I wanted to take it off, but I didn't want to shake my head around like an idiot to make it fall off.

"Have I ever told you what position I play?"

"I don't think so."

"Second base," Hinata said proudly. "But I'm also known to be a pretty wicked hitter," he pretended to swing an imaginary baseball bat in the middle of the room. "If I do say so myself."

I laughed. "What did you eat this morning?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, you're just acting all funny."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "I never knew it was illegal to be excited."

"It's not, Hinata-the-baseball-maniac."

He chuckled. "That has to be the worst nickname for myself I've ever heard. I'll have to remember that one."

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**Yayy first chapter in Yui's point of view :) So yes, most of the story will be in Hinata's perspective but once in awhile I will do Yui's so it's better to understand certain parts :) anyway I actually updated at a decent time this week so hopefully it'll be the same for the next chapter. Thanks for all the nice reviews- you guys are awesome c:**


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